As director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Frieden works to control communicable and noncommunicable diseases in the United States and around the world. He led the nation’s response to the H1N1 influenza pandemic. Most recently, his efforts have focused upon protecting the nation’s water supply against high levels of lead as well as raising awareness to the dangers of tobacco – the single largest preventable cause of death, killing 443,000 Americans every year and costing $193 billion in annual direct medical costs. As head of the CDC, Frieden has called for urgent action to be taken against abuse of prescription painkillers, which have caused a 111-percent increase in emergency room treatment and is threatening America’s public health system. Come hear about the next potential pandemic and how we are combating future outbreaks.